Whether you are on holiday to relax; participate in lots of different sporting activities, on land or water; enjoy your love of walking and nature, or indulge your hobbies of photography, art or writing poetry, the unsurpassable setting of Apollonium will inspire. But venture a little further afield and there are lovely places to discover - where much of the traditional Turkish way of life continues in villages and relaxed seaside towns - and fabulous sights to see.

Beyond Apollonium

Seaside towns

Akbuk (10 km) is a lovely town, a rising star of the Aegean coast, with 4 miles of seafront and a tree-lined promenade lined with trees that is illuminated at night, and dotted with small bars and restaurants. It is surrounded by thickly pine-clad mountains, and its natural beauty is strictly protected. Akbuk’s quiet beaches hold the Blue Flag for their cleanliness and the town is reputed to have the highest oxygen and lowest humidity ratio in Turkey. On Fridays a colourful and aromatic market comes to life with fish, plants, clothing and spice stalls. Boat trips can be taken from nearby Didim to visit bays and islands, enjoying a swim and snorkel along the way perhaps, and keen anglers can sign up for fishing trips. Diving trips to spectacular reefs and coves are also available with courses for beginners.

Altinkum at 35 km, is a favourite with holidaying Turks in the peak season and increasingly popular with international visitors. Its name means ‘golden sands’ and it is renowned for its excellent and safe beaches, which shelve gently into the sea. The town centre is modern, with a shopping mall, and its pedestrianised seafront is the perfect place to stroll in the evening admiring the twinkling lights of other towns across the water. Lively bars, centred on Dolphin Square, provide the focus of nightlife, along with the typical tavernas and restaurants which line the seafront. Discos are located in hotels though you might catch some Turku, traditional Turkish folk music. A new marina is scheduled for completion in 2009.

Nature

Lake Bafa

A 70km drive from the resort brings you to this freshwater lake, which is 15km x 10km and 25m deep. It is a bird paradise with more than 200 breeds, including pelicans and storks, while the lake contains sea bass, eels and carp. The Besparmak mountain chain backs the lake, sheltering ruins of monasteries dating back from the Byzantine era, with another monastery on an islet on the lake. In mythology, the goddess Selene fell in love with the shepherd Endymion here and asked Zeus to keep the young man in perpetual sleep for her.

Pamukkale (249 km)

A wondrous place where nature has created a surreal sight of sparkling white, cascading terraces falling from a cliff almost 200 metres high, with fantastical stalactites, potholes and cataracts formed from mineral deposits. Pamukkale translates as ‘cotton castle’ – an imaginative description of this spectacular view. In order to preserve its beauty, visitors are asked not to walk these terraces, they can, however, enjoy the thermal waters in a nearby pool which contains fragments of marble pillars. The spa town of Hierapolis was founded here in the 2nd century BC and ancient ruins of its baths, temples and well-preserved theatre remain, as well as a necropolis (graveyard), with more than 1200 tombs. Pamukkale is 100km inland, close to Denizli. 

Ancient Sites

Mythological tales, that most likely fired your imagination as a child, come to life in this region of Turkey which is littered with ancient theatres, temples, agoras and baths.
Best known is world-famous Ephesus (75 km), a must-see. Closer to Apollonium are three pearls of antiquity: Didyma (Didim) just 30 km, with its Temple of Apollo, Priene and Miletus; all great sites to visit.

Ephesus

The remarkable ruins of the once great city of Ephesus are among the most significant from Roman times, and many of the existing monuments date from that period. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Ephesus was also important as a centre of early Christianity. St. Paul spent three years there during his third missionary journey. The Apostle John lived and was buried here; he is also believed to have brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus where she spent her final days.   
The many ruins include the Church of the Virgin Mary, the agora, the great theatre – the largest in Asia Minor with a capacity exceeding 24,000 people, the Odeion or parliament, Gymnasium, several temples, the Scholastica Baths, a street of houses once inhabited by rich Ephesians and even a brothel! Most impressive are the well preserved remains of the Celsus Library.

Didyma (Didim)

Excavations at this site have uncovered evidence of a sanctuary here dating back to the 8th century BC and this was enlarged to become a huge temple around 560BC. The temple’s cult statue of Apollo was carried off during the Persian assault of 494 BC.  Reconstruction of the Apollo temple was begun following defeat of the Persians by Alexander the Great and the bronze statue of the god returned there in around 300BC. Construction continued during the 3rd and 2nd centuries and columns still standing from this vast edifice measure 2.40 metres in diameter and 19.7 metres high. It was one of the ancient world’s most sacred sites. The face of Medusa, who watches over the temple and had a reputation for turning people to stone, is evident all around Didim.

Priene & Miletus

Theatres at both these sites were constructed during the Hellenistic period, the stone walls for that at Miletus being 140m long and 30m high. Ruins at both Priene and Miletus are extensive and fascinating. Among the houses that run on two sides of the avenue that connected the agora, or meeting place, to the western gate at Priene, is that once inhabited by Alexander the Great. There is also a superb stadium theatre and Ionic Temple of Athena. The many attractions of Miletus include a 15,000 seat theatre, and a mosque built in 1404AD, which can also be visited.

Other things to do

Ask at resort reception for information about boat tours of the nearby islands and bays, with opportunities for diving, swimming and snorkelling. Turkish baths are famous for their fragrant cleansing and health benefits, featuring shower and steam rooms. Didim Aqua Park is packed with slides, a wave pool, tsunami twister and more guaranteed family fun. Jeep Safaris provide adventure exploring the forest and mountain landscapes.

Shopping

Copper and bronze Turkish teapots and coffee pots, lamps, carpets, leather goods, cotton clothing, embroidered furnishings, gold and silver jewellery and decorated ceramics… the crafts of Turkey are hard to resist.  Carpet sellers will invite you in to sit down and enjoy refreshments while they go through their sales patter. It pays to do a bit of homework if you are planning to buy. Traditional rugs and carpets are beautifully patterned and often painstakingly worked with knotting done by hand still. Generally, the tighter the knot the finer the carpet, which should be reflected in the price you pay. Haggling is the norm.

Everywhere you will see the blue glass eye charm (nazar boncuk) used to ward off ‘the evil eye’ and incorporated into designs for jewellery, ceramics and fabrics.

Other nearby locations

• Soke Bazaar 53km
• Kusadasi 69km
• Kusadasi Aqua Park 78km
• Dalyan 230km
• Bodrum 142km